


Of Things Misplaced

by Caeleinn



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Angst, Modern Girl in Thedas, Multi, There will be lemons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-26
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-06-04 14:58:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6663316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caeleinn/pseuds/Caeleinn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Items, affections, priorities, trust... all can be misplaced. But what happens when a modern woman finds herself misplaced into a world where magic is real and dragons aren't just a myth? Meet Bailey Watson, a normal everyday girl that was just trying to enjoy a weekend hiking trip with her friends, but that darn cave was just too interesting to ignore...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Displaced

_‘Well, this is just great,’_ Bailey thought as she pushed aside another branch with one hand and hitched up her backpack with the other. It was supposed to have been a fun and relaxing weekend with friends, camping and hiking in northern Georgia, but she had gotten separated from the rest of the group when they went into that cave. Now, on the other side of it, she had gotten turned around. Her compass was acting crazy; the needle kept spinning back and forth and even the trees looked a bit…different. They seemed too green for mid-October, even if it was the south. She pushed away another branch and found herself standing at the edge of what appeared to be a well-used dirt road. She shrugged the straps of her pack off of her shoulders and swung it around to dig for her copy of the map the park guide had given to everyone in her group. _‘There aren’t any roads shown on this map. What the hell?’_ she thought as she studied it.

Suddenly, a low menacing growl reached her ears and her heart jumped into her throat. Standing as still as she possibly could, she let her eyes slide to her left to see what was making that noise, expecting a bear or even a mountain lion. What she saw instead was some kind of creature that should have been in a horror movie or a nightmare…and it was moving right toward her with purpose, a weapon in its raised hand. Screaming, she dropped the map and ducked down to curl into a ball, her hands scrambling for a branch or something that she might use to defend herself. She raised her eyes, hearing another human shouting, and saw a man running towards her. Before she could react, the creature backhanded her and she dropped to the ground. The last thing she saw as the world faded away was the man glowing blue and what looked like a ball of fire shooting from his hand. _‘How…weird’_ was the last thought Bailey had as the blackness finally took her.

***

It only took a couple of quick fireballs to destroy the Hurlock that was threatening the woman. Once it was dispatched, Anders hurried over to examine her. It looked like she had taken a wallop to the head. His fingers gently and quickly moved through her hair, a small bit of magic in them as he made sure her skull wasn’t cracked. No blood either; that was good. Meant she wouldn’t be subject to the taint. He looked around and saw her strange looking pack and the piece of paper she had been examining. He quickly gathered her things, stopping only briefly to marvel at the feel of such fine parchment, and swung the strap of her pack onto his shoulder before gently picking her up in his arms and heading back down the road to the camp he had set up. No way was he going to leave her out here, apparently on her own.

Upon reaching his camp, he kicked open his bedroll and laid her down on it, then moved to the other side of the fire to sit. As he waited for her to wake, he kept an eye and ear out for more Darkspawn and studied his patient. She was no young girl; she appeared to be closer to his own age or perhaps a few years older even, if the tiny wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were any indication. Her blond hair was pulled back with some sort of clip, exposing her neck. A fine silver chain was barely visible above the neckline of her…shirt. He hesitated to call it that, as it appeared to be as skimpy as an undershirt. It had felt soft against his hands, too. Her legs were covered by trousers made of a finely woven but heavy blue material. They must have been old, as faded as they were. Her feet were encased in a rugged leather shoe, the bottoms of which had some kind of design carved into the thick sole. _‘Not very practical. Probably leaves a print that is easy to track,’_ he thought. But they looked sturdy and broken in. He picked up her pack and ran his hands over the fabric of it. It felt…odd. The style was something he had never seen before, and he had seen plenty in his life. But he could also see immediately that it was a very practical design, with two straps and several small pockets. He set it to the side as he heard her beginning to stir and quickly moved to kneel next to her. As her eyes began to open, he softly asked, “Are you alright? Do you need any healing?”

Sound was the first sense to return to her. She heard the faint crackling of wood as it burned. Smell followed quickly after. Smoke tickled her nose, making her want to sneeze. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and her mind tried to process her surroundings. Hearing a male voice so close to her, though, caused her to sit up suddenly and crawl backwards until her back hit against a rock. Her head pounded from the quick movements and she lifted a hand to press it against her temple. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the man she had seen running toward her…the same one that she was sure she had seen glowing blue. He gave her a small smile and held his hands up, palms toward her, the universal sign language of “I mean no harm” and moved a few feet back from her.

Bailey looked around herself and saw she was in some kind of primitive camp. Her backpack was on the other side of the fire, lying near what was probably his stuff. She looked back at him and her mind quickly took in his appearance. His shoulder length blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and only seemed to accent his high cheekbones. His jaw was scruffy, like he hadn’t shaved in a week. His eyes were a clear brown, his nose a bit long, and his mouth was curved in a little smile. His clothing looked like something out of a fantasy movie, his shoulders covered with what looked like feathers, his coat long and hanging open, and a long leather belt wrapped around his waist. “Who the hell are you and where the hell am I?” she spat out nervously. Fear made her native Southern drawl thicker.

Anders blinked at her accent. It was certainly not one he’d ever heard before. He tried to give her a reassuring smile as he answered. “You may call me Anders. As for where we are, I’m not sure where ‘Hell’ is, but we could be there. Or, we could be somewhere along the coast between Amaranthine and Highever.”

Bailey blinked at him. An English accent was the last thing she had expected to hear in this part of the country, so it took her a moment to process his words. “Amaranthine? Highever? There aren’t any towns around here with those names. What are you talking about? And what was that thing that attacked me? And did I really see you throw fire at it? I mean, who carries a flame thrower around in the woods anyway? Seems irresponsible to me.” She knew she was babbling, but her nerves were on edge and she couldn’t seem to make herself stop.

His eyebrows furrowed downward as she talked. This was getting stranger and stranger. “Amaranthine is a city to the east. Formerly the capital of Ferelden. Highever is a smaller town to the west, ruled over by the Cousland family. As for that creature, it was a Hurlock, one of the lesser of the Darkspawn. Surely you’ve seen one before; there was a Blight in Ferelden this past year. Those damn things were everywhere. And for your final question…” He raised his cupped right hand and called a small bit of flame into it. “You…have seen a mage before, right?” he said, questioningly.

She didn’t think her eyes could get any bigger and she was a bit embarrassed by the sound that escaped from her lips upon seeing the fire sitting there in his hand. “Ohmygodohmygod. This is too crazy to be real. That’s it. I hit my head in that cave and I’m unconscious in there right now, probably bleeding from a head wound. That must be it. This is all just a hallucination from head trauma.”

Anders shook the fire from his hand and pulled up a healing spell. “Are you alright? You did take a nice hit to the head from that Hurlock. Are you still feeling any pain or dizziness? I can help, if you want.” He didn’t understand much of what she was saying, but it was clear that she had apparently been through some sort of ordeal. _‘But her clothing. Her pack. They’re unlike anything I’ve ever seen. And that accent…just where is this woman from?’_ he wondered to himself.

“No. Don’t…don’t touch me. I wanna go home. Where is that cave? Just take me back there.”

He gazed at her and let the spell go. He gestured over his shoulder and said, “I found you just down the road. It must be around there.” He stood and picked up the long stick that was nearby, did something to strap it to his back and waited patiently for her. She pushed herself to her feet and kept her eyes locked on him as she moved to grab her backpack. He swept his hand across his body to indicate that she should lead. “Uh huh. I don’t want you behind me. But I don’t want you in front of me, either. Just…walk next to me so I can keep an eye on you.”

Anders chuckled a little. “I promise, I will not harm you. But if it makes you more comfortable, I will leave a few feet between us as I walk beside you.”

Bailey nodded and moved towards the road she could see just a few feet to her right. Upon reaching it, she glanced at him and he indicated they should turn to her left. She was silent as they walked, trying to keep her attention on him and her surroundings at the same time. He was right though; the area where she had been attacked really wasn’t that far down the road. There was a dark smudge where that…thing had been burned. She turned off the road and searched for signs of where her trail had brought her out of the trees. She spotted some trampled down grass and began following it back, pushing branches out of her way, looking for that damn cave. Her stomach fluttered with anxiety as she went further, wishing she could recall how long it had taken her to reach the road from the cave entrance. The strange man walking along behind her did nothing to quell her nerves.

She cried out happily when she finally saw the dark opening between two tree trunks and rushed forward to go into it. Anders followed, calling up a bit of flame to his hand to shed some light in the interior. They were stopped by a solid rock wall only six feet in, however. Bailey stood there, dumbly staring at the wall and muttering, “ No…nonono. No! I want to go home!”

She moved forward and began running her hands over the surface, walking back and forth, feeling for an opening, a crack, anything that might show where she had come through earlier. Bailey muttered angrily to herself as she searched. She had just had to go and examine that side tunnel and the faintly glowing lights she had glimpsed. Never mind that the glowing blue worm things had been so beautiful…look at what had happened to her. Her frustration, fear, and anger began to overcome her. She glared up at the rock wall in front of her and kicked it, hard. When that didn’t work, she began hammering her fists against the rough stone and screaming, “Let me back through! Open up, you damn rock! I want to go home…I WANT TO GO HOME!!”

Anders watched as she frantically ran her hands over the stone. He could hear her muttering something about side tunnels and glow worms. He could see she was getting more and more agitated and he couldn’t stop himself from wincing when she kicked the wall. When she began hitting it, he moved towards her to stop her as he could see her hands were beginning to bleed. She suddenly sank down into a ball at the base of the wall and her shoulders shook with heart-wrenching sobs. He gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders and quietly said, “Come on. Come away from here. Let me fix your hands and then you can tell me what happened.”

She looked up at him, her eyes overflowing with tears. She forced herself to her feet and numbly walked with him back to his camp. He sat her down on a rock and cupped her hands in his, the blue light of his healing spell feeling like warmth on her skin. Bailey knew she should have been shocked at how her skin knit itself back together under his hands, but she just couldn’t pull up the energy to feel _anything_. He didn’t speak or push her to talk; instead, he moved away from her and rummaged in his pack to pull out some food. He handed her some bread, cheese, and some dried jerky and placed a wooden mug full of water near her. “Eat, and then sleep. We’ll talk about it in the morning. You’re safe…I’m sorry, you still haven’t told me your name.”

She just stared at the bread in her hand as she spoke, her voice sounding hollow. “Bailey. My name is Bailey Watson.”

Anders nodded. “I wish we had met under better circumstances, Bailey Watson. But I promise, you are safe for tonight at least.”

She glanced at him as he moved away, then woodenly ate the food he had given her. When it was gone, she moved to lie down on the pad she had woken up on earlier. Pulling the blanket over her head, she let the tears fall over her cheeks until she fell asleep.

Anders watched as she moved to his bed and curled up under the blanket. He leaned back against the rock she had been sitting on and contemplated the events of the past few hours. As desperate as his own situation was, he simply could _not_ leave her to fend for herself. Whatever had happened to her had left her in no condition to do so. And that scene in the cave…those were the actions of someone desperate to escape. He knew that feeling well. Still, morning couldn’t come soon enough for him. It would bring answers to hopefully all of his questions about the woman currently occupying his bedroll. Once that was decided, he settled against the rock more comfortably and spent the night on watch for more Darkspawn stragglers.


	2. Revealing Truths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I'm posting chapters here, I will be doing some editing to them. If you read this previously on the other site, you may notice a few changes here and there. I've added some scenes and expanded some. The changes will be most noticeable in the early chapters, as those are the oldest and in most need of editing. And if you are new to this story, welcome!

Morning brought a rude awakening to Bailey. As she attempted to bring her brain online, she wondered why her mattress was so hard…and why it felt like she had been sleeping on rocks all night. She began to stretch the kinks from her body when a male voice said quietly, “Good, you’re awake. I was beginning to wonder if that knock on the head you took yesterday did more damage than I thought.”

Her body twitched violently and she spun around to look at the man that had spoken. Her heart pounding, she stared at him with wide eyes as the events of the previous day rushed back to her. She closed her eyes, put a hand over them and cursed softly. “So it wasn’t just a bad dream,” she said, a hint of anguish in her voice.

Anders chuckled lightly. “Well, I’ve never had that reaction from a woman that spent the night in my bed. But no, it wasn’t a dream. I’m real, that Darkspawn was real, the rock I sat on all night is real, and this breakfast is real. Hungry?”

She removed her hand, opened her eyes, and stared at him. He gave her a cocky smile and held a plate out toward her. She glanced down at it to see just what was for breakfast; her stomach was grumbling a bit. She reached for the plate after seeing the fried egg and toasted bread. His smile turned less cocky and more sympathetic as she moved back from him. 

He turned back to the fire and checked on his own bread, stuck on a pointed stick he had leaned against a rock so it wouldn’t fall into the fire and burn. He found it ready so he pulled it off and sandwiched his own egg between the two pieces. The eggs had been a lucky find two days ago. The owners of the small farmstead had left but the chickens hadn’t. He observed Bailey from the corner of his eye as he ate his breakfast. He would give her a bit of time to eat and fully wake up before he broached the subject of her presence. 

Bailey finished her egg and the last bit of her toast and then set the plate down beside her thigh. Now that her stomach was appeased, other pressing matters were making themselves known. She rose to her feet and stepped over to her backpack to pull out the small roll of tissue she had in there for emergencies. As she started to leave the area around the fire, Anders asked, “Where are you going?”

She turned back to him and glared a little. “To answer nature’s call. Is that alright with you?”

Anders felt his cheeks grow a bit warm and he sat back down from where he had risen to a crouch. “Oh. Um…there are briars that direction. You might want to go over that way.” He gestured to Bailey’s left. He watched as she turned in the direction he indicated and disappeared behind several trees and lower bushes. She was apparently awake, now. He decided he would try to talk to her when she returned.

Five minutes later, Bailey walked back into camp and dropped her roll of tissue into her backpack. She stood next to it for a few moments, put her hands on her hips and turned to look at… _‘What did he say his name was? Andrew? No…Anders,’_ she thought. “I’d like to go back to that cave again.”

He looked up at her from where he was bent over, pushing the now cleaned plate and a small frying pan into a bag. He raised one eyebrow and asked point blank, “Why?”

She set her mouth in a firm line. “Because I know that is the way home for me. It’s where I came out, so it only stands to reason that it’s also the way back.”

He straightened up, nodded once and moved to sit down on a nearby rock. “I’m actually glad you brought this up. I wasn’t sure how to do so without seeming like a heartless bastard. You kept saying that in the cave yesterday, about wanting to go home. It also looked like you were searching for something on that wall in there. What happened, Bailey? Where are you from, really? Because your clothes, your pack, and your accent are like nothing I have ever seen or heard or read about. And trust me; I did a lot of reading at the Circle.”

Bailey looked down at him, trying to decide if he was pulling a really elaborate joke on her or not. He gazed back at her, his face holding a look of genuine curiosity. She threw her hands up and said, “Fine. I’ll play along.”

She sat down on another rock and gave him a _look_. “I’m supposed to be camping with friends in a state park near Lookout Mountain. We went on a hike and found this cave. We all decided to check it out, only once we got in there, I just had to go see what was glowing blue in that side tunnel. I must have gotten turned around in that cavern, because when I finally found my way out of the cave, I was attacked by some monster from a horror movie and saved by a man that can apparently set things on fire with a touch of his hands. So,” she said sharply, “If I can find my way back to that cavern with the blue glow worms, I just might be able to go home from wherever this place is…because it sure isn’t Georgia.”

As she spoke, Anders felt his insides grow still. When she talked about the blue glow worms, he blanched just a little. Those things only appeared where the Veil was thin; sort of like ghosts, but they weren’t malevolent. Another thought crossed his mind, one that would have been unbelievable had she not been sitting in front of him, proving its truth. _‘She crossed through a piece of the Fade from another world,’_ he thought. The thought rocked him to his boots. He knew people could become trapped in the Fade, but he had never heard of it as being a way to travel. This was a situation completely beyond him; he was going to have to have help with this one. He looked over at her and quietly said, “I think I know what has happened to you, Bailey. I’m not sure exactly _how_ it happened, or how to replicate it, but I know some people that might be able to help.”

Bailey looked at him hopefully, then felt those hopes fall as he held up a hand and said, “I’m not promising that they will definitely be able to help; I only said _might_. And getting there will be dangerous, I won’t lie. My own situation is…precarious. But, if you’re willing to face the risks, I’ll try to get you to them.”

She gazed back at him and lifted a hand to chew on her thumb as she thought it over. “How far away are these people?”

He shrugged and said, “Across the Waking Sea in Kirkwall. It will probably take a few more weeks to get to Highever. Then we’ll need to find a boat that would be willing to take the voyage. It’ll take a week to cross the sea if the winds are good. I would say we could be there in a little over a month, give or take a week.”

Bailey stared at him in horror. “A month?” she cried. “A whole freaking month, and that’s just a rough guess?”

“Unless you happen to have a horse or two in that strange pack of yours, yes, a month or so.” He tossed up a hand as he continued, “Or, you know, you could just go and sit in that cave, waiting for something to happen. All alone. In the dark. With Darkspawn still out and about. Good luck with that.”

She gave him a glare and gritted her teeth. “Fine. A month. But these friends of yours better be helpful.”

A strange and pained look crossed his face. “I never said they were friends. Just that I know of them.”

Anders set an easy pace for traveling that day, making sure to stop whenever he noticed Bailey was lagging. He caught her looking over her shoulder several times and finally asked what she was searching for. “More of those creatures,” she replied.

He chuckled at her response. “Don’t worry; I’ll know if one comes around.”

“By magic?”

“Not really. Didn’t you get a sniff of the one that attacked you? I smelled it before I saw it.”

She stared at him and finally gave him a half shrug. “Sorry. I’m not exactly used to being attacked by creatures from a nightmare, so forgive me if I was too busy screaming and getting knocked out to stop and smell the roses, so to speak.”

Anders stopped walking and turned to face her, his expression serious. “I’ve promised to get you to our destination safely. Believe me when I say I will know if any are about. If we are attacked, just find a place to hide and get out of the line of fire.”

“Was that a joke? Seriously?”

He furrowed his eyebrows then realized what he had said. His lips quirked into a smile. “It wasn’t meant to be, but the meaning is the same.”

Bailey rolled her eyes. “Great. A one-man traveling show; humor and magic all in one,” she muttered.

“And I’m good looking. Can’t forget that.”

She took a deep breath and blew it out through her nose and began walking again. They finally stopped for the night as the sun began to sink behind the trees. The spot Anders chose was near a small stream and she grudgingly helped him gather wood for a fire. She watched as he shot a small jet of flame into the pile. “That’s handy. You never have to pack matches or a fire starter.”

He smiled up at her as he pulled a small pot from one of his packs, along with a handful of dried meat and a couple of small potatoes. “Yes, I’m rather useful for some things. Mind the fire, will you while I get some water?”

Before she could reply, he walked off toward the stream. She poked at the fire and fed it small bits of wood to build it up. She had it going well when he returned a few minutes with a handful of thin spiky green plants. “Found some wild onion near the bank. Thought it would add some flavor to the soup.”

She moved out of his way as he began to prepare dinner. Looking in the direction he had just arrived from, she bent to grab her pack and started walking in that direction. Without looking up, he said, “There’s a clump of bushes along the bank that is thick enough for a screen if you want to wash up or anything else.” He glanced up at her as she halted for a moment.

Bailey nodded her thanks to him and continued walking. Finding the bushes he spoke of, she checked to make sure he couldn’t see her. Once she was sure he wouldn’t see anything he shouldn’t, she opened her pack and pulled out the small hand towel she’d thrown in it at the last minute before the failed hike. She then withdrew a sturdy pocket knife and cut a small part of the towel off to bathe with. It wasn’t the most luxurious bath she’d ever had, but it was certainly refreshing.

Anders glanced up at her as she dropped her bag upon returning to the fireside. “Feel better?”

She shrugged. “It was cold.” She peered at the pot and said, “Is it ready yet?”

“The meat is still a bit tough, but it could be ready if you are hungry enough.”

“I’ll wait a bit longer.” She dropped to the ground and crossed her legs. Her elbows rested on her knees and her chin propped on her fists. She stared into the embers at the base of the fire, her mind racing with her situation.

Anders gazed at her for a few moments before bending to stir the soup again. His voice was quiet as he said, “How are you doing?”

Bailey snorted. “How do you think? I should be at a campfire with my friends, roasting hot dogs and making s’mores, not jumping out of my skin every time a bush near me rustles.”

Anders laid the spoon aside and crouched down, his hands clasped lightly together. “I’m sorry. I know this isn’t where you want to be, or where you belong. I understand that feeling. Better than you know,” he finished softly. 

Bailey lifted her eyes to look across the fire at him. He didn’t bother to hide the pain within his own eyes. She turned her face away from his and he caught the faint shimmer of a tear in her eye. He sighed softly and said, “Can you watch our dinner for a few minutes? I’m going to set some wards around the camp. I didn’t sleep last night and I am beyond exhausted.” He rose and walked out into the darkness.

Bailey watched him walk away and finally took notice of his shoulders drooping with fatigue. A momentary stab of guilt flashed through her, but she quickly squashed it. He’d volunteered to help her, after all. She could barely see him as he moved about the perimeter of the camp, his hands glowing with a pale blue light as he inscribed patterns in the air. She probably should have been more freaked out to see magic actually working, but having spent several years in college exploring other belief systems (Wicca being one of them) it was surprisingly easy to accept. It also drove home the fact that she definitely wasn’t in her own world anymore.

Pushing that thought away, she moved to give the soup a stir and lifted the spoon to taste it. It was a bit bland without salt or pepper, but it was palatable at least. She glanced up as Anders moved back into the circle of firelight and dropped to the ground. A small remote part of her admired the way the light danced over his cheekbones. _‘He is good looking. That nose is so perfectly straight. And those eyes are like dark honey…’_ She suddenly realized that those eyes were gazing back at her and one eyebrow was raised in question.

Anders felt a small smile touch his lips as Bailey suddenly found the soup more interesting than his face. He didn’t mind; it gave him a chance to study her. She had pulled her long blonde hair back into a braid, then twisted it up into a knot on the back of her head. It was held in place by a long twig she had picked up while they walked. He couldn’t see the color of her eyes in this light, but he knew from seeing them earlier that they were a silvery gray color. They reminded him of Lake Calenhad in the early winter. And although he hadn’t seen it yet, he was sure she would have a beautiful smile if the shape of her lips was anything to go by. _‘Stop looking at her lips. She doesn’t belong here. Get her to the Circle in Kirkwall and then do what you need to there.’_ He turned his head aside and closed his eyes for a moment.

Bailey looked up as the sound of a soft snore reached her ears. Anders had slumped down, his chin on his chest and bits of hair falling over his forehead. Dammit, she didn’t want to like this man, but her soft heart couldn’t let him sleep like that. She moved as quietly as she could to retrieve the blanket he’d rolled up that morning and draped it over his shoulders. Her hand must have brushed against him because his eyes snapped open and he grabbed her hand. A bolt of icy cold shot up her arm and she yelped loudly before jerking away from him.

Anders jumped to his feet and held out both hands. “Oh, Maker! Bailey! I should have warned you that I’m a light sleeper! Did I hurt you? Let me have a look, please.”

She cradled her arm against her chest and glared at him. “What the hell was that?”

“I will explain, but let me examine your arm..”

“Answer me first.”

He stopped trying to take her arm and gazed at her. “I’m not just a healer. I was also trained in offensive magic.” The corner of his mouth lifted a little. “That particular one is meant to freeze my attacker. I believe I mentioned yesterday that this country has been involved in a war against the Darkspawn for the past year and a half…” He reached toward her again. “Your cry of pain brought me fully awake. If I hurt you, I apologize. Please let me check for damage.”

She continued to glare at him a few more moments. _‘Great. A mage with PTSD.’_ She finally stepped closer to him and held her arm out to him. She couldn’t straighten it and as he gently cradled it in his left hand and traced the fingers of his other hand over her skin, she realized something else. “I can’t feel your hands,” she said, unable to stop a tremor from entering her voice.

He glanced up at her then his hands began to glow with a warm reddish orange color. He wrapped them around her arm just above the elbow and slowly drew them down to her fingertips. He repeated the motion several more times. After a minute or so, sharp prickles raced down her arm and she hissed as feeling returned with a vengeance. The glow around his hands changed to a cool blue and the pain subsided. He released her arm and took a step away from her. She flexed her fingers and said, “Thank you.”

He nodded once. “You’re welcome. And thank you for the moment of kindness with the blanket. I regret my reaction spoiled it. But I have slept in more uncomfortable conditions.” He stepped back over to check their dinner. “I think the meat is tender enough now…if you’re hungry.”

She wanted to deny it, but her stomach suddenly growled loudly, betraying her. Anders shot her a grin and said, “Alright. I’ll give you the bigger bowl tonight.”

She narrowed her eyes at him but accepted the bowl he handed her. The extra cooking time had helped with the flavor, but she still thought it needed salt. If only she’d thought to look around for some coltsfoot or something earlier when she’d gone to bathe…

Her stomach finally satisfied, she staunched a sudden yawn. Anders caught it and moved toward his pack. He pulled out his cloak, a thick dark blue woolen one that had come with his old uniform. Pushing those thoughts away, he went to drape it over her shoulders. “It’s not much, but it’s warm and should cover you easily. I’ll see about getting you a blanket in the next village we come to. Until then, the cloak is yours.” He moved to the other side of the fire again and sat back down.

Bailey’s fingers grabbed the edges and pulled it closed around her. The fabric was felted and thick and best of all, warm. Judging from his height, it did appear the cloak would cover her adequately. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “I was getting cold.”

He waved one hand at her. “You’re welcome. Go to sleep, Bailey. The wards will let me know if anything crosses them. And you already know I’ll respond quickly.” He gave her a small smile and was gratified to see her own lips twitch upward. It was quick and gone in only a second, but his thoughts from earlier proved to be true.

She did have a beautiful smile.

Though the first night of travel together had ended on a somewhat civil tone, the next week did not follow that pattern. She was moody and standoffish with Anders until one night about a week after he had found her, he sat her down and explained just how dangerous his situation was and how her behavior was not helping him any. She countered with the fact that he could have just left her where he found her. He looked sad at that and told her that he wouldn’t have the blood of innocents on his hands again, not if he had the choice. He wouldn’t say anything more and left her to think over what he had told her already. How people like him, people that had been born with the “gift” of magic had a “choice”. How they could live their entire lives locked up in a tower with other mages for their “protection”, watched by an order of warriors called the Templars that would strike a mage dead if they were ordered to do so. Or, the mage could be labeled an apostate - constantly on the run, hiding from Templars and everyone else who would be all too glad to turn them in out of fear…or for a few coins.

She apologized to him the next morning and told him she would try not to be such a pain in his arse, but in return, he had to try to understand how she was feeling. They didn’t travel anywhere that day; instead, they sat in the camp and he listened to her tell him about the world she came from. He asked questions and was shocked to hear that magic didn’t exist; at least, not in the way he thought of it. The science that was just accepted in her world sounded like magic to him. When she dug into her pack and pulled out her phone to show him some photos, his mouth dropped open and he began to turn it over and over, asking her how the pictures were so tiny and life-like and how they were in such a small box. It was when she showed him a picture of her parents that she began to cry, to truly weep for what she might not get back. Anders felt helpless in the face of such sorrow and simply held her close as her heart broke. From that point on, their association began to take on a much friendlier feel; she began to trust him a bit more and even began pulling her own weight to help out. It wasn’t like she was completely without any woodcraft. She had grown up in a rural area and the woods behind her house had been a playground when she was young. Her brother had taught her how to spot game trails, and she knew how to recognize certain wild herbs that would help season their meals. Anders was particularly appreciative of that talent. 

The truth of what he told her about how mages were hunted came about a week later in a small hamlet not far from Highever. They decided to stop for the night just outside of the village, trying to keep a low profile. Anders had managed to “acquire” some clothing for Bailey so she blended in better, so it was she that headed into the cluster of houses to see if she could make a few trades for some food and to see if there might be a boat heading across to the Free Marches. Her mannerisms must not have passed inspection because she was followed back to their small camp. Luckily, it was only a worried mother, imploring their help for her sickly daughter. Her reasoning was that since they had been traveling, perhaps they might know what was afflicting her child. She had begged for them to come back to her home to see if there was anything that could be done. Anders reluctantly agreed and they went with the woman, but it was Bailey that actually helped the most; Anders didn’t even have to use magic on the child. She took one look at the girl, asked a couple of questions, and pronounced that the child had something called “chicken pox”. Both Anders and the woman looked aghast. The woman asked if her child had become sick from their chickens. Bailey chuckled a little and explained that it was only called that because the sores looked a bit like chicken pecks. She assured the woman that her daughter would not die, but only if the mother followed her directions on the child’s care. She described a particular tree she had seen not too far from the woman’s house; long, thin leaves with small white flowers in the spring time. She told the mother to gather a handful of the leaves, wash them well, and then put them into some boiling water until the water turned green, and wash the sores with that water at least twice a day. Bailey also prescribed baths of cool water with a handful of oats in it to help with the itching. She emphasized that the child should be kept away from others until the sores were completely gone and then for at least a week after that. They left the woman’s home with a loaf of bread, a small wheel of cheese and a large packet of dried meat and a few root vegetables. 

Anders expressed interest in her herbal knowledge and wanted to stay to keep an eye on the child to see if Bailey’s suggestions would help. So, they were still there a week later, making daily visits to check on the child’s progress. To his surprise, the sores were drying up and clearing from the child’s body. That was when he began to look at Bailey as more than just a responsibility; it was possible she could be a real help to him. They left the woman’s house with a promise to return the next day.

That next day was a tense one. They had arrived at the woman’s house only 10 minutes before the door was pushed open and a large man in armor stalked in, followed by a shifty looking man in common clothes. He pointed towards Bailey and said, “That’s one of ‘em! Them’s the mages I told you about! They been using some kind of magic on that girl there!”

The man in armor stared at Bailey and looked over at the loudmouth. “I see only one woman before me, and she has no magic within her.” 

Bailey thanked all the gods she could think of that Anders had gone with the woman to collect more of the leaves. She gave the man in armor a smile. “Greetings, Serah. The lady of the house is not in right now. She’s out collecting more of the leaves that I’ve been using to treat her daughter.”

The knight looked at her and cocked an eyebrow. “Greetings. Leaves, you say?”

Bailey nodded and quickly explained the illness and how she was treating it. She told him that it was a familiar childhood illness in the Anderfels (the only place she could remember Anders specifically mention by name) and if treated properly, was not fatal. About that time, the woman returned to her home and assured the Templar that what Bailey had told him was true; that her daughter’s health had improved since she had been doing as Bailey had told her and that no magic had been involved at all. The Templar had no choice at that time but to withdraw and leave, the man protesting the whole time that there was another person, a man involved. Another 10 minutes passed before Anders opened the door and entered the house. Bailey sagged against a nearby table in relief and raised a hand to her chest. “Oh, thank god, you’re okay. That man was _scary_. I can see why mages are wary of them.”

Anders grimaced and started to say something, but was shocked into silence as Bailey shot across the room and threw her arms around him. He stood there uncertainly for a moment before he slowly lifted his own arms to pat her back. He smiled into her hair as he held her. “You were worried about me? Why, Bailey, I’m flattered. I didn’t think you cared so much.”

Bailey spoke, her words muffled against his chest. “Shut up. Of course I was worried. You’re the only person I know in this backward place.”

He laughed and his chest rumbled against her cheek. “I’m fine, dear lady. We heard him as we approached the house from the back, so I stayed in the woods until I was sure he was gone.” He looked over at the woman and said, “I’m afraid we have to move on. We don’t wish to cause you any more trouble.”

The woman looked at them speculatively. “You saved my child, and possibly the lives of other children in this hamlet with your knowledge. Let me help you in return. I have a cousin in Highever that often deals in…nefarious work. You are seeking a way to the Free Marches. He can help you. Find Theron in one of the taverns near the docks and tell him Marilee sent you.”

And so, a few weeks later, they found themselves landing at the docks of Kirkwall…and a whole new chapter of life began for both of them.

**Author's Note:**

> Previously published on another site, but as their rules about graphic content are a little constrictive, I'm going to be posting over here as well.


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